Park Avenue Player(58)

“I am.” Benito looked over at Hollis with his eyes trained on me.

The entire thing was awkward.

“Ummm… This is my boss, Hollis.”

Benito stuck out his hand. “Oh. Good to meet you.”

Hollis turned, leveled him with an icy glare, and dropped his eyes to Benito’s hand. He made no attempt to reciprocate the greeting.

Instead, he looked back to me. “Can we have a moment, please?”

I couldn’t let him do this. I just couldn’t. He’d had his chance, and again he’d left me dangling.

“We can talk about it Monday morning when I get to work.” I turned my attention back to my date. “Hollis was just leaving. Would you mind coming in for a minute, Benito? I just need to get my purse.”

“Umm…yeah. Sure.”

It didn’t get much more uncomfortable than this. I nodded at Hollis. “Have a good weekend.”

Opening the door, I walked in, and Benito followed. Once he was inside, I held the door open and waited a few more seconds. Hollis stared at the ground.

I frowned. “Goodbye, Hollis.”

Saying those words and shutting that door were oddly some of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. But I needed to do it. My relationship with Hollis wasn’t healthy, and I deserved more than he would ever give me.

Benito looked at me. “Everything okay with your boss?”

I took a deep breath in and out. “Yeah. We just have differing opinions on how some things need to be handled. He’ll get over it.” Though I wasn’t so sure I would. “I’m sorry about how he acted. He can be a real asshole sometimes.”

Benito laughed. “No problem. I’ve had those bosses before. The trick is to nod a lot, then stand firm and do what you think is right.”

I forced a smile. “Yeah. Would you excuse me for a minute? I need to use the ladies’ room before we go. There’s wine and water in the fridge, if you don’t mind helping yourself.”

“Thank you. Take your time. I was early.”

I went to the bathroom and immediately stepped into the bathtub so I could peek out the window. The blinds were shut, so I adjusted them enough to see outside. It broke my heart to see Hollis getting into his car. He buckled himself in and started it, then stared up at the house for a long time. Then, he pulled away.

The entirety of what had happened began to bubble up, and I felt tears stinging my eyes. Every emotion raced through me—anger, sadness, disappointment, grief, relief. It became too much to keep bottled in, and my shoulders began to shudder as tears streamed down my face.

God damn you, Hollis.

God damn you.

In truth, I was angrier that he’d left than I was that he’d shown up at all. The man had a way of getting my hopes up despite all the pessimism I felt. And each time I fell for it, he crushed me, leaving me feeling like a fool once again.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep, cleansing breaths in and out. Once I steadied myself, I looked in the mirror. My face was red from crying, so I blotted on some skin-toned cream contour that hid anything. It was too bad they didn’t make this stuff for your insides. After I was done, I relined my lips in a bold red that matched my dress and spritzed on some perfume.

I had no desire to go on this date anymore. But I’d be damned if I was about to let Hollis ruin another night for me.

I was going to have a great time, even if it killed me.

***

Benito was actually more handsome in person. He was tall, with naturally tanned skin, almond-shaped eyes the color of honey, and great bone structure. He had an amazing smile that he shared often and a hearty, contagious laugh. If he hadn’t been unknowingly competing with Hollis LaCroix, I would have been thrilled about meeting a guy like him.

“How about some dessert?” he said.

I had eaten too much bread and drank two glasses of wine to calm my nerves. I’d been almost full before dinner even arrived.

“I’m pretty stuffed.”

He flashed a boyish smile. “So am I. I’m stalling because I’m not ready for our evening to end.”

How novel, a man who tells you what he feels.

That should’ve made me want to stay out longer, but I just wanted to go home and get into bed. I’d been struggling to put on a happy face ever since we left my house. Benito was great company; I just couldn’t enjoy it tonight. And for that, he deserved some honesty.

“You’re a great guy—”

Benito interrupted. He covered his heart with one hand like his chest hurt. “No, don’t say it.”

“Say what?”

“You were about to give me the but speech, weren’t you?”

I smiled sadly. “Sort of. I’m a little out of it tonight, and even though we just met, I feel like you know that.”

He nodded. “Your boss threw off your evening. I get it. It happens.”

What a nice guy. “Thank you for understanding. Do you think maybe we could skip dessert and try this again another evening?”

“Sure. I’d like that. I’ll get the check.”

I felt lighter after acknowledging I wasn’t myself tonight. Letting my guard down allowed me to be in the moment. We left the restaurant, and maybe it was only because I knew the date was ending soon, but I felt more relaxed than I’d been all day. Benito and I chatted as we waited for the valet to bring his car, and the conversation continued to flow freely during the drive to my house. When we pulled up alongside a young guy driving a clunker that had the rearview mirror duct-taped on, we laughed about our first cars.